


I Am Where I Would Ever Be

by cakelocked



Category: The Terror (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Domestic Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21734680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cakelocked/pseuds/cakelocked
Summary: Edward wants to surprise Thomas one morning by making him breakfast.That's it basically. I just want them to be happy (and alive!)Wishing very early Happy 208th birthday to my man Edward Little! (The real date's December 14th).
Relationships: Thomas Jopson/Lt Edward Little
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	I Am Where I Would Ever Be

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by tumblr post about #LittleBirthday event. Prompt: family.

It was one of those days of a seamlessly endless winter which felt like they dawned dark and stayed that way. Of course, it was nothing compared to the endless nights near the Pole. After surviving those, complaining about little darkness felt thoughtless.

That being said, Edward Little didn’t like the darkness anymore. He’d found it calming, once. That had been before he’d learned what horrors it could hide. 

He blinked blearily and turned his head to look at the window. The slightly brightening light filtering from outside through the curtains told him that it was, indeed, morning or nearly one already. That also meant that he had to get up soon, lest he spoil his plan.

Edward turned again, this time to look at the figure lying beside him. The only thing visible of the figure was a tuft of black hair. Otherwise his partner had bundled up so well that Edward wondered just how he managed to breathe beneath all those layers. He resisted the need to smooth down the wildly sticking out hair. He wanted Thomas to sleep some more.

They’d both had their problems with sleep, with accustoming to life in England once more. So had the other men who had survived. After arriving to England after being rescued, they’d generally gone on their own way, at least at first. He hadn’t slept much then. Soon, it had become apparent to Edward how wrong he’d been to part with Thomas.

After exchanging a bunch of increasingly frantic letters, they’d both admitted that living apart wasn’t an option. To say that he’d scandalised his mother and by extent his family by refusing the match that had been arranged to him as soon as they’d found out that he was alive and returning to England would have been a grave understatement. Edward hadn’t managed to feel more than a fleeting wave of guilt over it. He’d face much worse for Thomas.

Besides, they weren’t the only ones to live together; it seemed that their expedition had forged very strong bonds indeed. Their Captains lived together in London, Fitzjames’ former steward lived with _Terror_ ’s former master of foretop and Irving, of all people, lived with Tom Hartnell.

He was loathe to leave the warm bed and Thomas within it behind. For a moment he wondered if he should just stay there and sleep some more. He supressed a sigh and banished the thought. He glanced at the sleeping man once more before inching himself out of their bed as gently as possible. That done, he creeped around the room stealthily, changing his nightshirt for his daily clothes. He didn’t bother with waistcoat, electing to go with suspenders over his shirt.

He closed the bedroom door carefully, mindful of the creaky hinges. That done, he padded out of the room and down the short hallway. The cottage they officially shared as bachelors was smaller than any place Edward had ever lived while on land, but after living all those years aboard _The Terror_ , it felt more than adequate size.

The cottage was near enough London that they could easily visit the other members of the crew that lived there. While there was not enough land around it to keep a horse, much to Edward’s disappointment, there was enough space for a decent vegetable garden as well as few chickens and couple of goats. Born and bred city lad, living in the country was a new experience for Thomas.

One summer evening, not long after they’d moved in, and after a colourful day that included escaped goats and capturing said goats before they ate everything green in the vegetable garden, Thomas and Edward had sat down outside their cottage to watch the sunset. Thomas had looked lovely and full of life there, surrounded by green and the setting sun colouring him golden. He’d turned to look back at Edward, before leaning gently against his shoulder. Then he’d said, softly, “I love it here.” For Edward, that had been a perfect moment, something to treasure. Edward smiled as he remembered that.

He walked past the second room they used as a storage. In addition to their bedroom and the storage room the cottage had a small sitting room which merged with a kitchen and a well-stocked pantry. Edward’s arrival to the kitchen woke their newest guest, a small tabby kitten. Thomas had found it hiding in the goat’s shelter among the hay. He’d brought it in and fed it, and it had stayed.

A squeak greeted him as he leaned down to give it a scratch behind one comically large ear.

“Hello, Ginger,” he murmured and smiled.

The kitten thus greeted, he set off to take care of the goats and chickens. It was fast work, and he returned soon with fresh eggs. It was time for the next phase of his plan.

He rekindled the fire on the stove and set to make breakfast. There were eggs, bacon and yesterday’s still fresh bread with a generous helping of jam spread on it. He steeped the tea just so and loaded the tray with great care. He found the work soothing. There had been time when the thought of doing such chores might have felt beneath him but much had changed since then.

The kitten tried to come and inspect the food and he had to distract it with bits of raw meat before he could move without tripping on it.

Edward padded to the bedroom, taking care not to spill anything. Inside, he set the tray down to the side table and reached then to draw the curtains, letting the greyish light to filter in.

A _mmmph_ sound was all that he got as a response before a sniffling sound followed by a loud noise of a rumbling stomach. He sat down on his side of the bed and prodded the mound of blankets that was his beloved.

“I know you are awake. I heard your stomach rumble just now.”

There was a groan before the blankets started to shift and Thomas emerged amongst them. His hair was a complete fright, sticking out on every possible direction, and his eyes blurry with sleep. The sight of him filled Edward with such tenderness that he had to lean forward and press a kiss to his brow.

“Morning, love. I brought you breakfast.”

Thomas blinked a bit more awake now. “Oh.” He looked at the tray heaped with steaming goodness and then at Edward. His eyes crinkled as he smiled.

“Thank you. To what do I owe the pleasure?” He asked with slight mischief on his blue eyes.

Edward smiled back. “Does one need a reason to indulge his dearest family?”

Thomas’ eyes lit up and he leaned to kiss him. The breakfast was nearly cold by the time they got around to eat it but Edward counted the morning success all the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!  
> Sorry about the grammar mistakes etc. I wrote this one night instead of sleeping and read it once after that.
> 
> Title ripped off the wonderful poem featured in the series, [The Sea](https://www.bartleby.com/246/57.html) by Barry Cornwall.


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